Bond between Them
by saktiMS
Summary: The background of this story was taken place after the fourth shinobi war and "The Last Movie". The original story belongs to Mashashi Kishimoto.


**The Bond between Them**

The Fourth Shinobi War had ended and so had the crisis of the falling moon caused by Ootsutsuki Toneri. The bond between Konohagakure and Sunagakure was getting stronger. Both allies were working together for the peace of the world with other nations and their villages. Delegations of the shinobi hidden villages established an alliance, Shinobi Union.

Temari from Sunagakure and Nara Shikamaru from Konohagakure were parts of them. Temari supported her beloved young brother, Gaara the Kazekage, as the ambassador of Suna. Meanwhile, Shikamaru trained himself and worked hard as the advisor of the sixth Hokage of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi, because he really wanted to support his friend, Uzumaki Naruto, once he became the Hokage someday.

Temari got some duties from the Kazekage to go to Konoha. As usual, Shikamaru was the one who got the order to escort her. She was expected to stay in Konoha for some few days. Thus, he had already prepared an inn for her.

"Finally…" said Shikamaru as a blonde haired kunoichi carrying a large fan on her back appeared and grinned at him. She was Temari.

They both stood in front of the entrance gate of Konoha. Then, they walked through the main road of Konoha towards the Hokage office. Their faces were so bright as if the sun shone brightly on that morning. People might have thought and considered that they were a couple although both were just walking, talking and sometimes laughing together. It was obvious that they weren't like other young couples who usually held hands but it was also obvious that the atmosphere between them was a couple-like atmosphere, wasn't it? Even Naruto had once jumped into wrong conclusion when he saw Shikamaru and Temari side by side walking together. At that time, he blatantly asked and teased Shikamaru whether he was dating with Temari.

"Are you on date too?" Naruto asked Shikamaru with his idiot smile on his face in which both of them denied it saying that they had just worked on the Chuunin Exam.

When he thought about it, he always wished that he would never meet Naruto on their way. It would be such a pain if he met him that dumb person.

The meeting was over. Temari was not busy anymore with the duty as the ambassador. As usual, she would just spend her free time with Shikamaru. Moreover, Shikamaru didn't have any missions on that day. After putting her big fan and the documents and reports from the meeting in her inn, she planned to find something for lunch. Without her big fan, she was definitely like a normal woman. It meant that she wasn't even like a kunoichi at all.

They walked around the hidden leaf village and decided to stop in a Dango Shop. They had some dango and green tea there. She really loved it. Every time she was in Konoha, she would always eat some. After that, Shikamaru invited her to try his regular BBQ restaurant where he and his teammates, Ino and Chouji, and also the deceased Asuma sensei, the leader of team 10, always celebrated their success in missions. It brought back the old memories. Shikamaru and Temari changed over their old stories when they were still genin until their first meeting in Chuunin Exam. And… Every time they told about their first match, Temari would always be the one complaining and looking for the proper rematch against him. Although she had won that match, she couldn't just forgive how he could easily gave up at the last moment.

"I still can believe what you're thinking at that time?! You only needed one step to beat me down! You underestimated me because I am a woman, didn't you?! I want a rematch!"

It couldn't be helped but Shikamaru always sighed,

"Well if that's how you feel, I'll wait for that. you troublesome…."

That's how they are. They would just bring that matter up again and again until they settled things between them.

It's getting towards the evening. They were still strolling around the village. Then, they realized that unexpectedly it was going to rain. Life and weather were similar, they were so mysterious. Sometimes you didn't know when and it would change. How both Shikamaru and Temari once were just shinobi from different villages. Moreover, they were enemies during the Chuunin Exam and Konoha's destruction plan. But now, their villages had become strong allies and they had been in charge of many duties together. As the weather on that day, it changed now. It brightly and clearly covered the peaceful Konoha that morning, but it went darker. It's definitely raining hard soon.

However, they were quite far from Temari's inn. As the rain was getting heavy, Shikamaru decided to go to his house because it's the closest place to shelter from rain. Unfortunately, they're already soaked when they arrived there.

"Geez… This is great! My clothes are completely soaking now! Thanks to you, genius!" Temari said sarcastically to Shikamaru.

"Dammit… This woman is really troublesome. Doesn't she know how to sincerely say thank you?" Shikamaru grumbled in his mind.

"Well, on my defense, I'm not the one who's responsible for the rain! And more importantly, this is the best place to shelter. You know exactly how far your inn from that road. And see… It probably won't stop until night. You're troublesome." He replied.

Temari couldn't answer him back. He was right. It's raining harder outside.

"But… What about my clothes?" She thought to herself as she held and hugged herself so that she didn't feel cold.

"Huhhhh…" She snorted.

"Don't look at me! I'll kill you!" She warned Shikamaru as he stared her out. Her face turned red.

"Listen, I don't have any intention of staring at your soaked clothes and body." He straightforwardly said it. She became bright red!

"It's troublesome… But you can change your wet clothes here and also keep your body warm or else….. You will get cold. That's why I said this is the best place." Shikamaru tried to explain gently.

Once again, she couldn't say anything. She was even not able to ask what he meant by changing clothes there.

Hearing the door opened, Nara Yoshino, Shikamaru's mother, noticed that her son didn't come alone. She greeted them. Temari then introduced herself.

"My name is Temari. I'm from Sunagakure. Nice to meet you." her smile appeared in her face.

"Ah, so you're Temari. I'd already heard much about you from Ino. I'm Nara Yoshino, that little one's mother," she said with a little smirk, "Nice to meet you, Temari."

Her reply made both Shikamaru and Temari confused. What did actually Ino say? She even rarely met her, only once or twice when she was in Konoha. But Temari remained silent rather than asked any questions.

"What? Ino? What she said?" Shikamaru asked in question.

"And what you mean with little? Geez...", protested Shikamaru to his mother while Temari watched them.

Yoshino didn't answer his questions. She friendly asked Temari to stay there for one night. She said that the rain might stop at night so she should just stay in her house. She gave Temari a towel and her clothes to change and asked her to take a bath. Temari couldn't help but receive Shikamaru's mother kindness.

Temari smiled gently. She was happy because she finally could feel a mother's atmosphere and affection that she missed for a long time. The strong wind-user kunoichi wanted to cry in happiness at that moment but she held back her tears. She lost her mother when she was still very young. She grew up to be a mature woman without a figure of mother beside her. She's more than just happy because she could be a little daughter again, treated well by a woman called as mother although she's not her own mother.

Meanwhile, Yoshino asked her son to prepare the guest room for Temari. Shikamaru thought to himself. He actually didn't imagine that his mother would be so nice from the very beginning moment. At least, he was sure that she would get angry because he suddenly came home with a woman.

After she finished her bathing, Yoshino asked her to join the dinner. Shikamaru had been there sitting on the opposite chair of his mother. She looked at him. She noticed that he looked different because his pineapple-like hair was untied, just like hers. Her two ponytails were untied. Back to previous years ago, she usually tied her hair into four bundles. After the Fourth Shinobi War, she had a new appearance in which her hair was tied up into two bundles only. It was the first time for both of Shikamaru and Temari to see their hairs untied. They might feel strange and unfamiliar with each others' appearances.

Later, Temari awkwardly sat beside Shikamaru because she thought that it wasn't polite to sit beside Yoshino. Actually, she also found it awkward that she sat beside him in front of his mother. She was more nervous when Yoshino offered the food. Shikamaru clearly noticed that. He thought to himself, "Well, it's quite rare to see that expression of her."

But still, Temari was not the only one who felt that. Honestly, he was so nervous too. He tried to act cool whenever her mother started teasing both of them, especially him. Sometimes he cut her short whenever his mother started to talk too much and intentionally teased him.

"Stop it mom! You don't need to mention that!"

Or simply he clarified her mother, "It's not like that mom. How many times I've told you."

But mostly he always said it many times "Troublesome..."

And then he chose to keep silent and continue to eat.

Meanwhile, Temari found it funny so that she just responded by laughing and smirking at Shikamaru whenever Yoshino told her about Shikamaru's chilhood. They both got along very well even sometimes Yoshino asked about her job, Suna, family and of course Shikamaru. Temari really enjoyed the dinner. She said to Yoshino that the food was really delicious.

Similarly, Yoshino also looked so happy that night. She almost never stopped smiling and laughing. Deep in his thought, Shikamaru always remembered his dad every time he looked sat an empty chair beside his mother. He couldn't imagine how that his father would tease him because he brought a girl home. Then, he unconsciously smiled and continued to eat.

Time ran so fast. It was already night. Yoshino excused to go bed first and said good night to Temari. Shikamaru already yawned many times beforehand and wanted to go to his room when Temari called him and stopped his steps.

"Hey,tttth... today is interesting." She hesitantly said it. She faced Shikamaru shyly.

Then, she continued, but this time her cheeks blushed,

"It's so nice that I can meet and talk many things with your mother. She's so kind. You know, I feel kinda at home. She's really like mmyyy..."

She stopped. The she looked away, try to hide her red face and said,

"Mmmm….. Good night."

"Huh, what's with that attitude? Is that your way to say thank you?" Shikamaru asked in question.

"Nothing. That's absolutely nothing", Temari quickly replied him, but still didn't want to face him.

She felt really strange, but at that time she knew her eyes were getting wet, it's hard to hold her tears.

"What's wrong with me?" She told to herself.

As she's still confused about her own feeling, she heard the voice of that lazy guy behind her,

"You can come here and visit my mother anytime you want. Even if it's troublesome because she definitely will just talk such embarrassing things about me and my father..."

He didn't continue for a moment then he said, "Yeah, I guess, it's good for her to have such woman to talk to. Well, if it doesn't bother you of course."

She turned and looked at Shikamaru, then said in happy but calm voice, "Not at all."

The clouds of sadness and loneliness disappeared from her eyes. It couldn't be helped but he unintentionally smiled back at her. He had no idea about that. As he looked back, he felt like it didn't just happen this time. It was really such a nostalgic moment. Then, he mumbled as he starched his head, "Troublesome..."

"What?" Temari asked with her usual plain tone and curious facial expression.

"Huh, she's back," he thought.

"Just forget it. Anyway, if you still feel cold, you can take another blanket in the wardrobe. Your face looked red a moment ago." He changed the topic.

"What? No! I'm fine. I'm not that weak!" She huffed but tried to convince him, she turned red.

"If you say so… Good night then," without looking at her, he turned back and waved his right hand while the other is still on his pocket of his trousers.

"She really is…." He sighed softly but then smiled. He made his way to his room.

Temari still stood on that place. Only her facial expression changed, she smiled cutely instead arrogantly looking at the back of her opponent in Chuunin Exam a few years ago.

"He really never changes, that idiot genius," she mumbled but still smiled as managed to walk into her room.

Once again, she looked back and told to herself, "Thank you so much, Shikamaru."

Her smile brightened her beautiful face.

She didn't know why and how but she felt that the bond between them was getting stronger. In that case, she felt that he was the one who really understood her very well. She could say that she believed him. Just like how he brought her to his house to shelter from rain, he's totally right. It was raining more heavily outside. Moreover, she could change her wet clothes and of course she got warm from his mother. She didn't even feel that she was far from her home in Suna. Later, she closed her eyes. She blushed once again and smiled as she imagined Shikamaru in her mind.


End file.
